Petsmu

Horse trailers come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Take into consideration the size of your horse(s) and how far you will be traveling with them when you are searching for a new trailer. Allow your horse to get used to the trailer a few weeks in advance of taking him somewhere. This helps to calm and relax him. A horse that walks into a dark unfamiliar trailer that resembles a cave and then feels it is motion beneath him will not be very happy or calm when you arrive at your destination. Show your love and concern for your horse by giving him the assurance he needs. This means get him use to a surrounding that he is not familiar with as of yet.

Horse trailers can be equipped with lots of things and a wise idea would be to suspend a hay net close so that your horse can have a nourishing snack throughout the trip. This is especially important if the trip is to be a long one. Make sure that the hay net is within reach of the horse’s mouth but not so close that he is likely to get his neck or his mane entangled in it and then injure himself trying to get out of it.

Horses need to be transported in horse trailers that are designed and arranged with them in mind as opposed to the people who care for them. Make sure you carefully inspect the inside of the trailer to ensure that your horse could not get hurt on anything at all, especially if he gets restless. This includes any holes, cracks or splinters. Make sure that all breast and tail bars, as well as partitions are padded to allow for the comfort of the horse or horses.

Despite your best efforts, you may have horses that are reluctant to enter the trailer and they may require a little bit of encouragement. Horse trailers that have a lightly colored interior, as opposed to a darker one, tend to be more inviting to horses. Continue Reading »

Here is a guideline to different breeds, how to care and general characteristics to get you familiarized with your new pet.

Finches - the popular breeds are: gray singing, green singing, society finch, and zebra finch. Cages should be a box-type or they can be kept in an aviary. They need perches and some might need baths. The regular size of such cages range 20×10x12 inches. Some finches are good singers, and many have fine markings and beautiful color combinations. Popular breeds are relatively inexpensive.

Canaries - the popular breeds are: roller, gloster, border canary, red-factor canary and other smaller varieties. They need perches and bath in their cages which range in sizes 20×14x16 inches. These birds can range from the inexpensive to the expensive. Good cage birds can be kept in aviary with other see-eating species, even some softbills. They are brightly colored, sweet singers (if male, though some hens sing a little).

Soft-billed birds (non-seed eating) - One such soft-billed bird is the Pekin robin. It can be housed alone or in pairs in an indoor cage - 30×18x26 inches. These birds are strong, lively and strong singers (particularly males). They have beautiful plumage, couples are quite affectionate and they need water daily.

Shama is another soft-billed bird that can be housed alone or in pairs in aviary. It must stay indoors in winter. They tend to mimic everything from rusty gate to nightingale. They can be quite exuberant.

The Golden-fronted leafbird is another soft-billed bird that can be kept in a cage or aviary with other smaller species. Cage sizes tend to range in 32×20x24 inches. The males sing sweetly. They are brightly colored and easily tamed.

Parrots - The Budgerigar (small species of parrots) can stay in cage size 24×12x16 inches with horizontal wire. They may also house in aviary. Spray the cage on warm days with mist sprayer. They come in many colors and can learn words if taught young. They are affectionate, sometimes noisy and relatively inexpensive.

The Lovebird is another breed of parrots that can stay in a cage size 23×12x16 inches with horizontal wire. They are affectionate if hand-reared. They come in many colors and are relatively inexpensive.

The South American parakeets and Asiatic parakeets can stay in a cage 47×36x36 inches. They are curious and beautifully colored and quite noisy. Continue Reading »

Whether you are adopting an adult dog or buying a puppy there are important factors you need to take into consideration when choosing a breed.

First and foremost, keep in mind that most breeds are the result of literally hundreds of generations of breeding for certain attributes. For example, retrievers need to retrieve and most terriers need to chase small animals. Don’t make the mistake of choosing a terrier breed such as a Cairn and expect it to cohabitate happily with your child’s pet hamsters. The point here is that a dog’s temperament and personality are largely set at birth and it’s important to understand the breed’s traits when choosing a dog.

The Eight questions you should ask yourself before choosing a breed

1. How will the dog fit in with your lifestyle? Do you want a small dog can take with you almost everywhere or a large dog that will spend most of its life out of doors? Are you a hunter? If so, you will want to choose a breed such as a Lab, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever, or a German Wirehaired Pointer.

2. How much time and money you want to spend keeping the dog trimmed? If the answer is not much then you should choose a short-haired breed such as a Beagle or a Boston Terrier. On the other hand, if you don’t mind spending the money to have the dog clipped every other month or so, you can choose a longer-haired breed.

3. Do you want a family pet or a show dog? If your goal is to have a friendly, family pet, choose a breed that is even-tempered and laid back such as a Cocker Spaniel or a Dalmatian. On the other hand, if you wish to have a show dog, you may need to accept a dog that is more nervous and high strung.

4. How much time and attention you devote to the dog? Some breeds are happy to spend most of their time alone and require very little from you. However, there are other breeds that are very affectionate - such as Fox Terriers -that may want more of your attention.

5. Do you want a guard dog? If so, choose a breed such as a German Shepherd, a Rottweiler, a Doberman Pinscher or some other breed that has been bred over the generations to be great guardians.

6. Do you want a dog that will listen to you and follow your commands? There are breeds that are very amenable to training and others that are more hard-headed. For example, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are considered easy to train while Welsh Terriers can be more difficult.

7. Do you want an adult dog or would you like to raise a puppy?. There are plusses and minuses to both alternatives. A puppy requires lots of time and training - including the need to housebreak it - while an adult don’t usually doesn’t.. However, when you adopt an adult dog you are sort of getting a pig in a poke as there is no way to know its background or why it ended up in a shelter.

8. How much time will the dog spend outdoors. If the answer is “a lot,” make sure you choose a long-haired breed that can withstand bad weather, such as Husky or a Samoyed. Continue Reading »